Honors History 11

Era of Christendom

This course is an introduction to the post-Pagan Roman world (which encompassed the province of Britannia, in the west, to the Kingdoms of Armenia and Georgia in the east), and to the expansion and transformation of that world, i.e. the new lands won for Christ by missionaries and the renewal or abolition of many western and central European institutions and traditions. More than this, the Kolbe 11th grade History Course is an attempt to present as an elaborate thriving organism, an often slandered or overlooked period in which the Christian ideal shaped and inspired the social and political order.

Students will study this era through its sources, occasionally comparing them against the judgments of modern historians, in order to form an impression that is marred neither by the pejoratives of progressives nor the sense of vindication often voiced by Catholics. Students will be able to identify the greater themes of this era and to distinguish between the vagaries of life in this (or any) era, the anomalies of this era, and its ideals. An over-emphasis on particulars—a trick of progressive and anti-Catholic historians—is misleading. Similarly, the person who passes judgment on this era with reference to only the political formulations issued by popes and the recorded aspirations of saints will have obscured or overlooked a very complex culture. In short, the goal is to let this era manifest itself to the student, while supplying occasional readings or glosses that put the readings in proper context.

For this reason, the Kolbe 11th Grade curriculum is entitled The Era of Christendom, rather than "Dark Ages Curriculum", for the designation "Dark Ages" is shamefully derogatory and unscientific, as the historian Theodor Ernst Mommsen observed. We feel it is important therefore that even something so seemingly insignificant as the title of the course suggest a fresh approach to this subject.

Students taking this course for Kolbe Honors (H) credit will have eight papers, a mid-term, and final exam each semester. Additionally, core students should expect to have daily reading and minor weekly written assignments or quizzes.

Course Details:

NOTE: This self-paced course will be available in its new format by August 22, 2017. It is still available in it's original format. If you are interested in the original version, please call Kolbe at 707-255-6499 to inquire.

Should you purchase the original and want to update to the new course, you can do so by paying the remaining difference in price for the new version.